Quotes
Congress has made clear through statute its express will that USAID be an independent agency, and that it not be abolished or substantially reorganized without congressional approval,
said Chuang
To deny [this claim] solely on the basis that, on paper, Musk has no formal legal authority relating to the decisions at issue, even if he is actually exercising significant authority on governmental matters, would open the door to an end-run about the Appointments Clause,
wrote ChuangI guarantee you, we will be appealing it,
he said of the judge's order regarding the USAID
The Court finds that Defendants’ actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID Officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways,
Chuang wrote in his decision
The restrictions will assist in maintaining the status quo so as to delay a premature, final shutdown of USAID,
Chuang wroteUSAID is a criminal organization,
he wrote on his social media platform X on February 2, without offering proof.jpg)
We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could [have] gone to some great parties. Did that instead.”
Later that day, Musk posted another message on X.jpg)
Today’s decision is an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack on USAID, the US government and the Constitution,
said Norm Eisen, executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund, which backs the lawsuit
Musk has specifically expressed his desire to shut down USAID and has taken responsibility for the actions taken to do so,
Chuang wroteRogue judges are subverting the will of the American people in their attempts to stop President Trump from carrying out his agenda,
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said in a statementPresident Trump publicly acknowledged that Musk and DOGE wield significant influence across federal agencies,
the judge added, sayingUnder the circumstances in the present record, where the DOGE Team Members have displayed an extremely troubling lack of respect for security clearance requirements and agency rules relating to access to sensitive data … the Court finds that the potential disclosure of sensitive personal information” could harm the unnamed plaintiffs
he saidTaken together, these facts support the conclusion that USAID has been effectively eliminated,
Chuang wrote in the preliminary injunction
They are performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel, harming not just the people USAID serves but the majority of Americans who count on the stability of our government,
he said in a statementHere, the executive has unilaterally deemed that funds Congress appropriated for foreign aid will not be spent,
Ali said
Under these circumstances, the evidence presently favors the conclusion that contrary to defendants’ sweeping claim that Musk acted only as an advisor, Musk made the decisions to shutdown USAID’s headquarters and website even though he ‘lacked the authority to make that decision,
Chuang wrote
If a president could escape appointments clause scrutiny by having advisers go beyond the traditional role of White House advisors who communicate the president’s priority to agency heads, ... the appointments clause would be reduced to nothing more than a technical formality.”
Chuang wroteDefendants' sweeping actions have created vacuums of need all around the world, ceding influence and permitting China and Russia to seize those opportunities left behind,
the brief said
DOGE has taken numerous actions without any apparent advanced approval by agency leadership,
Chuang saidAll or nearly all of the awards needed to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance were terminated on or before Feb 27th,
the memo obtained by NBC News said